Ombudsman to summon NBI chief, whistleblower

The Office of the Ombudsman will summon next week Director Nonato Rojas of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) and the principal whistleblower in the R10-billion pork barrel scam in connection with its parallel probe on the case.

Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales expressed anxiety yesterday over the delay in the submission of the report on the unprecedented anomaly.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima said earlier that the NBI is scheduled to file in “one week or two weeks time” before the OMB the plunder charges against those linked to the diversion of Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF) of some lawmakers to ghost agricultural and livelihood projects.
“The NBI has not furnish as a copy of its report despite our request,” Morales told the media after speaking before OMB sponsored forum on public governance at the Asian Development Bank in Pasig.

She disclosed that the principal whistleblower Benhur Luy has already signified his intention to testify before the OMB informing he would be relating the same statement he already gave the NBI.

Baligod, who represents the whistleblowers in the pork barrel scam case, revealed that they are expecting the 17 JLN employees to submit their respective affidavit that will support the testimony of Benhur Luy.

He even claimed that one of the new whistleblowers revealed the closeness of Napoles to a Sandiganbayan justice, who reportedly handled the trader’s Kevlar helmet case. The lawyer declined to name the Sandiganbayan justice.

Justice Sec. Leila de Lima, for her part, confirmed yesterday that she met last Wednesday with the new witnesses presented by Baligod.

“Some of them already submitted affidavits, while the rest have yet to submit theirs. Their affidavits are subject for evaluation,” she told reporters in an interview. (Jun Ramirez, Leonard D. Postrado)